In dental practice, while a permanent crown is fabricated for a patient, a patient is fitted with a temporary covering (e.g. such as a temporary crown). The temporary covering protects the original underlying tooth or post and allows a patient to maintain normal chewing while waiting for the permanent crown to be fabricated. The temporary covering is typically adhered with a short term dental adhesive to the underlying tooth or post. To ensure the temporary covering does not cause patient discomfort, the temporary covering may need to be removed multiple times during fitting. To expose the underlying tooth or post once the permanent crown is fabricated, the temporary covering needs to be removed from the patient's mouth.
Generally, for removal of a temporary dental covering, many dental operators (i.e., dental physicians) pinch grip the temporary dental covering to remove the covering from the underlying tooth or post. Hand and finger access may be limited. For example, the further toward the rear of a mouth of a patient, the more restricted the space for a dental physician's hand to access the dental covering. While removing the dental covering, a dental operator's hand may block visual access to the dental covering. To overcome access space, provide better control, and provide better visual access, hemostats, forceps and dental pliers have been utilized. Forceps style dental tools present the challenges of needing to contact opposing surfaces of a dental covering (i.e., lingual side and facial side) to apply a grip force. The grip force provided by these tools may result in damage to the dental covering, such as cracking and breaking. The size of these forceps style dental tools may result in patient discomfort. Generally, these forceps style tools are meant for long-term use due to their initial purchase cost.
US 2013/0244201; US 2011/0045435; U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,805; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,088 disclose varying forceps dental tools for removing dental coverings. U.S. Pat. No. 9,084,650 discloses a dental removal apparatus for removing dental appliances with a pry force. Notwithstanding the above, there appears to be an absence of a simple prying tool which can pry a dental covering (e.g. one located within a mouth of a patient) from an underlying surface without damaging the dental covering or the underlying surface.
What is needed is a tool which is relatively small yet easy to insert into a mouth of a patient. What is needed is a tool which is simple to manipulate within a mouth of a patient. What is needed is a tool which can pry a dental covering from an underlying surface. What is needed is a tool which does not damage a dental covering, adjacent teeth, and/or adjacent tissue. What is needed is a tool, at least a part of, which is disposable after a single use. What is needed is a tool which is cost effective to manufacture, store, ship, and/or purchase.